A turbine is subjected to increased heat loads when an engine is operating. To protect the turbine components from damage, cooling fluid may be directed in and/or onto the turbine components. Component temperature can then be managed through a combination of impingement onto the component, cooling flow through passages in the component, and film cooling with the goal of balancing component life and turbine efficiency. Improved efficiency can be achieved through increasing the firing temperature, reducing the cooling flow, or a combination.
One issue with cooling known turbine components is inadequate coolant coverage on the surface thereof. Inadequate coolant coverage may cause the average and/or local turbine component surface temperatures to remain excessively high, which increases the total heat load of the turbine and may reduce part life below acceptable levels or require use of additional cooling fluid. Therefore, an improved system may provide improved cooling coverage and thereby reduce the average and/or local surface temperature of critical portions of the turbine assembly, enable more efficient operation of the engine, and/or improve the life of the turbine machinery.